The cattle theft of 17 steers was reported earlier that morning from a pasture in a rural area near Columbus in southeast Kansas, Sheriff David Groves said in the release. Livestock investigators with the Kansas attorney general’s office then teamed up with Oklahoma authorities to make a fake sale.

They may face additional charges in Kansas, including felony theft and criminal damage to property, Groves said.

“I’m excited about the way this case came together, very quickly, thanks to rapid and accurate information sharing along with collaboration between the cattle owner, representatives of the sale barn, and all law enforcement involved, including the Special Livestock Investigators in Kansas and Oklahoma,” Groves said in the release.